Emerald Coastkeeper Laurie Murphy visited the Pensacola Tanyards and Mayor Ashton Hayward’s Government Street Stormwater Project yesterday. The streets had been swept, but the mud and foul water remained.
Murphy had already scheduled drinking water quality testing in several homes located in the Tanyards neighborhood for Tuesday morning.
“While sampling, I noticed some concerning dewatering strategies from the City as well as a complete breech of contract and the result of such between the City and Utility Services Company,†she told Inwweekly.
The stormwater ponds were filled with water and several dewatering machines were onsite. According to Murphy, a major breach in the stormwater pond created a flooding disaster on Government Street because the turbidity curtains were not utilized as in the contract between the City and the contractor. Murphy warned City Administrator Eric Olson about the issue a month ago. She brought it up again with him last week.
She reported to Inweekly, “One machine was utilizing the sanitary sewer for its dewatering system. This is the correct way to dewater because it will be filtered. Another dewatering machine was pumping directly into the storm drain. The water was yellow and foul. The third dewatering machine was pumping into a huge hole in the ground. That water was running over onto Government Street.”
The City has yet to deliver to Emerald Coastkeepers the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), which they requested weeks ago.
“I’m fairly positive that there is no permit for the dewatering pipe pumping into the storm drain,†said Murphy.
